Brian Hodge, Mad Dogs

Mad Dogs

Brian Hodge

Cemetery Dance, December 2006, $40.00

ISBN 1587671492

B level (some will insist F level) Hollywood actor Jamey Sheppard is driving from California to marry his fiance when he makes a pit stop at a Gulp 'n' Go in the Arizona desert. As he fills his vehicle with gas, a drunken deputy sheriff asks for ID and vehicle registration before smashing the actor's head against the car. The lawman pulls out his gun and accuses Jamey of being Duncan MacGregor, a role he played on TV's American Fugitive. The deputy fires the gun at Jamey's head causing him to wet his pants, but no bullet was in the chamber. A second shot is fired, but this time the drunk kills himself accidentally.

Jamey flees, but Arizona law enforcement, Duncan, and a few others believe he killed the deputy, and they come after this "mad dog" for varying reasons. The lawmen want to kill the punk who murdered one of them, Duncan wants to meet the dude who portrayed him and now joins him on the lam; others see large reward money for his apprehension, dead or alive. Finally, Jamey's sister Melissa sees an opportunity to make money if he is dead, as she would own her detestable sibling's films, even as his notoriety as a national fugitive rises. She joins the manhunt to kill her dangerous brother.

MAD DOGS is an insane thriller that satirizes reality TV, especially reenactments of real crimes. The storyline is fast-paced, and at times it is almost out of control, like the beleaguered lead character that has done nothing wrong, but is the target of man hunts as if he is a rabid dog. Though the key motive why Melissa and Jamey loath one another is never explained, readers will appreciate this zany dark crime caper.